Thaindian News

Toronto, April 6 (IANS) Canada’s huge Indian diaspora Tuesday welcomed the launch of news channels Aaj Tak and Headline Today in the country.

Welcoming the news channels at a gala party here, Canadian Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said the launch “could not have come at a better time when Canada and India are deepening their relationship very fast”.

The minister said: “India is a great country where a president (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) was a Muslim, the prime minister is a Sikh and the head of ruling party a Christian… India is a great role model as a multicultural society and I am sure India Today channels will bring our two multicultural countries together.”

Kenney said the launch of the channels assumes significance as it comes in the Year of India in Canada celebrations.

TV Today Network CEO G. Krishnan said his group was excited to extend its reach to another huge market abroad.

He said the two channels will bring India live to the million-strong Indian diaspora in Canada and reflect the achievements of the diaspora back in India.

“It is exciting for us to be here in Canada today - one of our 10 overseas markets. We will mirror India to the Indian diaspora here, and convey their success stories back to India,” said Krishnan.

“The Canadian market looks good. Our short-term strategy is to establish credibility, and long-term is to establish a big subscription basis. There are more than a million people of Indian origin in Canada and we should easily get 30 to 40 percent of that audience. We will also very soon start creating local content,” the CEO said.

Krishnan said TV Today Network was the first group to cross 60 million viewership in India and the first to list on the Indian bourse.

Indian envoy Preeti Saran said the arrival of the two Indian channels shows the growing India-Canada relations which have seen unprecedented progress during the past two years.

“The launch is timely and significant as it comes in the Year of India in Canada,” she said.